Gymdogs Experience 3.0
Continuing on to the third year of their partnership, the UGA New Media Institute elevates the GymDogs’ social media presence and recruitment process with the use of augmented reality (AR) filters in the “GymDogs Experience 3.0!” The strong groundwork that has been done previously drove this year’s Capstone team to enhance the creative vision of the products and immerse their users into a new elite world of UGA gymnastics for the upcoming season.
The NMI team works closely with Lijah Galas, Director of UGA Gymnastics Creative Services & social media, to integrate a digital interactive component on their Instagram to recruit top class talent for the team and enhance the fan base. The Capstone team utilized SparkAR and Cinema4D to break the physical limitations and transform the user’s personal device into an immersive experience with the GymDogs. The newly developed filters bring a personal touch of the team’s culture into the augmented reality of each individual.
The GymDogs AR filters offer a unique and vibrant way to gamify the recruitment process and engage the elite competitive recruits and fan base. The NMI team will add an exciting fresh perspective on taking fans and GymDogs recruits along the journey of bringing home more winning trophies, in addition to their current 10 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships Titles and 16 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Titles. The two filters that will be released on the GymDogs social media platform, Instagram, will be the Vanity Mirror AR filter and “Locked In” AR filter. The Vanity Mirror builds from the static GymDogs make-up filter to directly put the user through the glamorous preparation in the locker rooms with the team before the gymnastics meets. The “Locked In” AR filter pulls the audience into this upcoming season’s theme to increase excitement among the fan base. Both filters are designed with a person-centric approach to place the audience in a first person and inclusive perspective when being a part of the GymDogs team culture. Combining the excitement of the nature of collegiate gymnastics and the immersive component of augmented reality, The GymDogs Experience 3.0 offers a unique experience to engage and grow the audience across their various forms of new media.